Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos doesn't do things by halves and certainly doesn't aim to leave his audience feeling comfortable. Now, the acclaimed helmer of the Oscar-winning The Favourite is pushing the boundaries again in Poor Things, which reunites Lanthimos with Emma Stone. Here's the poster.
Tony McNamara, who worked on the script for The Favourite, adapts Alasdair Gray's novel, fashioning a proto-Frankenstein tale set in a bizarre futuristic universe. Stone plays Bella Baxter, a human who has seemingly been 'grown' by the eccentric and horribly scarred scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe).
The rest of the plot remains murky, suffice to say Bella embarks on a voyage of discovery that sees her crossing paths with lawyer Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo). The vistas look psychedelic and Stone's performance looks bravely unhinged and physical, assaying a primitive consciousness in an adult's body.
We know from her Oscar-nominated performance in The Favourite that Stone is a dab hand at dark and twisted characters, not just the peppy portrayals familiar from the likes of La La Land. This looks like her most audacious turn to date, overseen by a truly singular filmmaker who is always able to interweave comedy and horror.
Check out the trailer below and get ready for the release of Poor Things on September 8th.
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